For this survey we are collecting opinions from people 18 years of age or older. Your responses will remain anonymous and confidential. In appreciation for completing this survey, you will be entered in to a draw to receive a $100 Visa Gift Card.

Top 10 Manitoba Travel Articles of the Year

Each year via the media tour program, Travel Manitoba supports trips for 70+ travel writers, bloggers, editors and crews. The publicity results from these visiting influencers are insightful, positive stories about our home, validating what Manitobans have known all along: we live in a pretty special province. Travel Manitoba leverages upwards of 400 pieces of earned travel content each year, and these are our most notable from 2016.

10.“Falling for Flin Flon” CAA Going Places (Manitoba)
Travel Manitoba supported local freelance travel writer Karen Burshtein on a media trip to Flin Flon in 2011. The northern town left such an impression on her that five years later she's still pitching its quirky story to editors. Going Places published the piece in its Fall 2016 issue, shining a spotlight on this blue-collar mining town (famous for being named after a character from a dime-store science) that has a surprising artsy side.

9. “Kayaking with beluga whales in Manitoba” Bucket List Journey blog (USA)
California-based blogger Annette White was slightly outside of her comfort zone in the cool climate of Churchill. The retelling of her kayaking adventure with belugas is genuine and the surprise is palpable. We particularly loved how her large images of sea, sky, and a clear horizon put readers right in the boat with her.

Freelance travel writing couple Patricia Dawn Robertson and D. Black Grant reside in Saskatchewan, but they regularly explore Manitoba with our assistance. Manitobans know that the Gimli Film Festival has been quietly making waves in the art scene for 10 years, and it finally garnered some international attention (in The Boston Globe nonetheless!). Kudos to this unique beach gathering and our beloved Lake Winnipeg.

It's about the journey, not the destination. Travel Manitoba assisted The Globe and Mail's Catherine Dawson March on her epic journey aboard VIA Rail’s Hudson Bay Express. Most travel media write about the destination (Churchill) and so few focus on the journey it takes to get there. March's emotional struggle aboard this unpredictable rail line is raw, honest and humorous, but ultimately reads as a story of transformation and growth. And that's the value of travel.

6. “Canada's Next Big Thing: What to do and see in Winnipeg” Clever Dever Wherever (USA)
Travel blogger/Hollywood star Juliana Dever visited Manitoba for a trip to Churchill during fall polar bear season, but, to her surprise, she became enamored with our prairie capital. She writes: "Unassuming and less flashy than higher-profile cities like Montreal and Toronto, Winnipeg is quietly turning itself into a world-class destination. Each attraction is so surprisingly captivating, that you linger far longer than you planned."

Manitoba's remote rivers don't receive the attention they deserve, so we were thrilled when Explore, Canada's go-to outdoors magazine, published a paddling feature on the Bloodvein. Writer Katherine Fletcher, who was invited to paddle the river on a Travel Manitoba group media trip years ago, recounts the thrilling adventure of shooting rapids and connecting with the river's First Nation heritage.

The media relations team has been trying for years to land a Manitoba fishing destination feature in Field & Stream, the Holy Bible for American outdoor enthusiasts. It finally happened in 2016 when Colin Kearns visited Gangler's Lodges and composed a masterful article that hits all the right points about a fly-in fishing trip: pure wilderness, a trusty guide, yummy shore lunches, and, of course, really big fish.

Did you hear Winnipeg was mentioned in Vogue? Such was the water cooler talk the morning this article made it rounds on social media. In November, the city's hip profile skyrocketed when it received a nod from the world's leading fashion and lifestyle influencer. The article was a pleasant (and surprise!) publicity result from a sponsored visit that freelance writer Alyssa Schwartz's had to our fair city in October.

Many Churchill polar bear travel articles have been written over the years, but what stands out about Chris Leadbeater's piece (apart from being published in Britain's revered daily newspaper) is the language he employs to create a sense of place and isolation. Sure, he was enthralled with seeing polar bears up close in the wild, but the heart of the narrative is his fascination with the journey to Manitoba's northern frontier and the people who dare to inhabit it.